Abolfazl Naji, Marzieh Nuri, A. Dick Vethaak

Environmental Pollution, Volume 235, 2018, Pages 113-120, ISSN 0269-7491,

Abstract:

Microplastics (MPs) are well-known emerging contaminants in
the marine environment. A key route by which MPs can directly affect
marine life is through ingestion. The objective of the present study was
to evaluate the occurrence of MPs in marine life and seafood for human
consumption in the Persian Gulf. We conducted a whole body analysis of
MP (between 10 and 5000 μm in diameter) abundance in five species of
molluscs with different feeding strategies, including both gastropods
and bivalves from the littoral zone of the Iranian coast of the Persian
Gulf. The mean number of total encountered MPs in all species ranged
from 0.2 to 21.0 particles per g of soft tissue (wet weight) and from
3.7 to 17.7 particles per individual. Overall, microfibres followed by
fragments were the most common type of MP isolated in each species
(respectively > 50% and ≈26%). Film (≈14%) and pellets (≈2%) were less
commonly observed. The observed MPs were classified into three size
groups (ca. 10–25 μm, 25–250 μm and 250–5000 μm), and 37–58% of MPs fell
into the smallest size group. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR)
analysis confirmed the presence of polyethylene (PE), polyethylene
terephthalate (PET), and nylon (PA). Our results indicated that
molluscan shellfish from the Persian Gulf contain MPs, with higher
concentrations in a predatory species, suggesting trophic transfer of
MPs in the food web. The consumption of edible species may be a source
of human microplastic intake. We compared our results with those
previously reported for other regions of the world and identified the
need for further studies in the Persian Gulf.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1U9J4ENQkb_7-h5Gk4QD3lQduDwbgiRMJ

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.12.046.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117328439)